Tracker mechanism for musical instruments.



W. A. WATSGN. TRACKER MECHANISM FOR M uSiCAL, iNSYRumNTS.

APPLxcATmH man Nov. 13, 19m.

UNTTED STATES PATENT FFTCFL.

WILLIAM ARTHUR WATSON, OF MALDEN, IvASSACI-IUSETTS,

ASSIGNGR, BY IHFJSNE ASSIGNMENTS, T AUTOPIANO CCMPANY, OF NEVI YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

TRACKER lEECl-IANISM FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed November 13, 1915.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. lVATsoN, of Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tracker Mechanism for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic musical instruments, and especially to the tracking device thereof for the perforated notesheet. i

As is well-known, the perforations in the note-sheet sometimes do not accurately register with the apertures in the tracker bar, because of relative lateral displacement between the said sheet and bar. While it is true that most pieces of music, if started right, will run through correctly, from roll to roll in the spool box, yet accurate starting is not always easy and frequently fails of accomplishment. One of the objects of this invention is to provide improved means whereby correct lateral relationship can be quickly established by the performer and the note-sheet then left to itself because it will then usually run through straight. However, if lateral displacement does occur at any portion of the piece, correct registration can be at once secured by the performer.

My improvements also accomplish another object, viz that of enabling a performer dependent upon his skill, to effect transposition, and either leave the sheet in its shifted position, to run through to the end, or to return it at any time.

Some mechanisms which have been produced for the purpose of maintaining correct registration between the note-sheet and tracker bar, have resulted in a constant shifting of the said sheet or bar. After considerable use of a note-sheet under such conditions, line lines crossing each other at acute angles appear in the back of the sheet due to wear on the tracker bar. Eventually line particles or fibers become detached and are sucked into the valve mechanisms, tending to clog them. a Another object of the present invention is to provide improved mechanism whereby, after the performer has brought about the desired relative lateral position, it is rendered permanent by a locking device so that the number of crossing lines in the back of the paper, due to Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24., 1917.

Serial No. 61,220,

repeated use of the sheet, is reduced to the minimum. By my present improvements this locking device remains in effective action until the performer, desiring to bring about a shift, presses a button, or performs some equivalent act and thereby releases the lock and permits the shifting mechanism to act, either to bring about correct relationship between the note-sheet and tracker bar or to effect transposition. Therefore, the devices which constitute my present improvements never act automatically to cause any shifting, but are permitted to act only when the performer does something to result in a shifting.

For convenience of description, reference will hereinafter be made to shifting the spool spindles, assuming that the spool box and tracker bar are stationary. Gbviously,

however, the spool spindles might be in fixed position, and the tracker bar mounted to be shifted.

`With the above explained objects in view, my invention consists in the improvements which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the locking pneumatic looking from the left of Fig. l.

Fig. el is a detail view of the push buttons and the valves operated thereby, on a larger scale than in Fig. 1.

To avoid unnecessary illustration and description, the disclosure herein is limited to such parts as are essential to an understanding of the improvements claimed. For instance, such mechanism or devices as the motor for effecting the travel of the notesheet from one spool to the other, and the transmission gearing, are or may be of any well-known or preferred construction.

The spool box illustrated includes end walls 12, 13, and an upright 14. The takeup spool is indicated at 15 and the record spool at 16, the latter being, of course, removable, as usual. The take-up roll 15 is driven by means of a chuck spindle 17 and gearing not necessary to illustrate. The note-sheet 18 passes from one spool to the other, as usual, over the tracker bar 19.

A vertical rock shaft 20 is mounted in suitable kbearings 21 projecting from upright 14, and has an arm 22 at or near its lower end and two short arms 23, 24, which overlap the projecting ends of the spindles of the record and take-up spools. Said spools are normally held toward the right by springs 25 in their left-hand bearings. A link 26 is connected to the arm 22 of the vertical rock-shaft. Anything pulling the link 26 in the direction of arrow a causes the arms 23, 24, to shift the spools and the note-sheet in the same direction, or to the left, and when such action ceases and the link moves to the right, the springs 25 shift the spools and the sheet to the right.

I will now describe the mechanism which, under the control of the performer, either retains the link in locked position or causes it to shift in one direction or the other.

The link 26 is connected to the movable wall 27 of a pneumatic 28 which may be termed the actuator or the shifting pneumatic or motor, the other wall 29 of which is suitably supported in fixed or stationary position, as by bracket rods 30 extending from the spool box. Secured to and separated from the fixed wall 29 by blocks 31, 32, is the back wall 33 of another pneumatic 34 which may be appropriately termed the .lock controlling pneumatic, the movable wall 35 thereof carrying a fork 36, the purpose of which will be presently described.

The pneumatic 34 is normally held expanded by a suitable spring 37 (Figs. 1 and 3), while the pneumatic 28 is normally held expanded by the spool springs 25 and the connections including the rock-shaft 2O and link 26 already described.

Secured to opposite sides ofthe block 31, and above the two pneumatics, are casings or shells 38, 39, of valve devices of the type illustrated and claimed in my Patents 1,059,324, 1,094,351, or 1,101,979. The iatter one especially gives ample explanation of the structure of the shells and the valves contained therein, and in view of the fact that any valve mechanism which will control or cause the collapsing of the pneumatics 28, 34, when desired by the performer might serve the purpose, it is unnecessary to repeat herein the explanation of the structures shown in the patents referred to, especially in view of the following. explanation.

A pipe V connects ports in block 31 with the usual air-exhausting mechanism of the instrument, this letter being employed to indicate that said pipe serves to transmit a partial vacuum to said ports and, as presently explained, cause atmospheric pressure to collapse the pneumatics 28, 34, by exhausting more or less of the air in those pneumatics when the performer causes the properair-way connections to be established.

Said air-way connections include ports 40, 41, formed in the block 31 (see dotted lines in Fig. 1) which ports lead respectively to the pneumatics 28, 34, and said ports are controlled by valves in the casings or shells 38, 39, of the type illustrated in my former patents referred to.

The rail or key-bed of the instrument,

indicated at 42, forms a convenient location for the push-buttons which are operated by the performer, but I do not limit myself to such location. The push button 43 has a stem 44 bearing upon, so as to open, a valve 45, to admit air at atmospheric pressure to a pipe 46 leading to valve shell 38. The push button 47 has a stem 48 bearing upon, so as to open, a valve 49, to admit air to a pipe 50 leading to valve shell 39.

lVhen button 43 is depressed and air admitted to shell 38, the result is to establish a communication between vacuum pipe V and port 40' to cause the motor pneumatic 28 to collapse and, through the connections hereinbefore explained, shift the spools and the note-sheet toward the left, the amount of such shifting depending upon the number of seconds or fractions of a second that the performer holds said button depressed. Of the two buttons, the one (43) to the left, causes a shifting to the left. Shifting to the right is caused by springs 25, as has been explained, and these are permitted to act when the right-hand button is depressed,

due to mechanism or devices which 1 shall now describe.

Pivotally connected to an ear 51 of the pneumatic wall 27 is a rod 52 which passes through an eye 53 atrone end of a pin or rod 54 mounted to rock in a bearing block 55 secured to block 32, the said rod 54 having a long armV the outer portion of which passes through fork 36 and is inclined as at 56, a light spring 57 acting on said arm to hold the eye turned suli'iciently in the bearing in block 55 to grip or clutch the rod 52 and lock the member 27 of the shifting pneumatic and prevent movement thereof in either direction. If the music sheet has been shifted to the left, or is at any time too much to the left, and it is desired that it shall shift to the right, the performer presses the right-hand button 47 and admits air through pipe 50 to the valve casing or shell 39, the result is to establish communication between vacuum pipe V and port 41 to cause pneumatic 34 to collapse. This causes fork 36 to act on the inclined arm 56 and swing it down suiiiciently to rock the eye 53 and release its grip of rod 52. In other words, it unlocks the rod 52 and permits the pneumatic 28 to expand as the springs 25 act, through the connections hereinbefore described, to exert a pull on link 26.

The operation of the button 47 acts primai-ily to do nothing but result in releasing the lock which holds the shifting pneumatic 28 in predetermined position, but such release, as has been explained, results in permitting the spool springs 25 to shift the note-sheet to the right. It is also necessary, of course, to release the lock to permit the pneumatic 28 to act to shift the notesheet to the left. This may be effected in various ways. For instance, any mechanical connection which would cause depression of button 43 to also depress button 47, would serve. In Figs. l and 4, however, I indicate a short pipe or port 5S one end of which communicates with pipe 50 and the other end is controlled by valve 45. Therefore, when button 43 is depressed, it not only admits air through pipe 46 to shell 3S to result in a shifting of the note-sheet to the left, as has been explained, but also admits air through pipes 5S, 50, to shell 39 to result in unlocking the rod 52 so that the pneumatic 28 can operate. In fact, although operation of button 43 results in admitting air to both the shells 38, 39 simultaneously, the lock-releasing pneumatic 34 acts a fraction of a second in advance of the action of the shifting pneumatic 28 simply because until the lock is released the wall 27 of the shifting pneumatic cannot move.

It is desirable to be able to determine the limit of collapsing movement that t-he wall of pneumatic 34 may have, in order to prevent any such movement in excess of what is required to effect the unlocking, to prevent reaction of the indicator pointer presently described from its desired position.

One way to provide for this is to set a screw 59 in the wall 35, the inner end of the screw being adapted to contact with a stop 60 on the inner face of the wall 33.

To aid a performer in determining if the note-sheet and tracker bar are in proper relationship and if not so, how much shifting is necessary to bring about correct relationship, I provide a suitable indicator to emphasize the condition or requirement, which indicator may consist of a light pendulum or pointer 61 pivotally supported a 62 and having a smooth-faced curved lug or ear 63 against which the left-hand edge of the note-sheet bears, said pendulum or pointer being so shaped, preferably, that gravity alone will always cause the ear 63 to be in contact with the edge of the sheet. The lower end of the pendulum coacts with a suitable member such as a plate having a Zero point G4, and which may bear the words Left and Right, as a tracker indicator.

If now the performer, noticing by means of the indicator or otherwise, that the notesheet and tracker bar are not in correct, or the desired, relative lateral position, a shifting can be caused by depression of the button 43 or the button 47, according to the direction desired for such shifting. And the amount or degree of shifting is determined by the length of time during which a push button is held depressed, and when neither button is depressed there can be no shifting owing to the lock or clutch members 52, 53.

lf it be desired to effect and maintain a transposition of the music piece7 say a half tone above or below normal, the performer need only depress the appropriate push button until the desired degree or amount of shifting has been reached and then the release of that button results in automatically locking the parts against any further and undesired shifting.

To aid in steadying the pneumatics, i may employ a brace 65, in addition to the bracket rods 30, said brace extending from the spool box to the block 3l.

Having now described my invention, l claim:

l. `lhlechanism of the character described, comprising a tracker bar and a note-sheet support, one of which is shiftable relatively to the other, a motor for effecting such shifting, means for holding the motor normally locked to prevent any shifting, and means under the control of the p n'former for releasing the locking means and permitting the motor to act.

2. Mechanism of the character described, comprising a tracker bar and a note-sheet support, one of which is shiftable relatively to the other, spring mechanism for effecting the shifting in one direction, a motor for effecting shifting in the other direction, a manually operable device for controlling said motor, a lock for said motor, and a manually operable device for releasing the lock.

3. Mechanism of the character described, comprising a tracker bar and a note-sheet support, one of which is shiftable relatively to the other, a pneumatic for effecting such shifting, means for automatically holding said pneumatic normally locked, a lock-releasing pneumatic, and manually operative means for controlling both of said pneumatics.

4. Mechanism of the character described, comprising a tracker bar, note-sheet rolls mounted for endwise shifting, springs for shifting them in one direction, a shifting pneumatic having connections for actuating the rolls in a direction in opposition to said springs, means for manually controlling the operation of said pneumatic, a lock for preventing the operation of said pneumatic, and means whereby the performer can effect the release of the lock to permit the operation of said pneumatic.

5. Mechanism of the character described, comprising a tracker bar, note-sheet rolls mounted for endwise shifting, springs for shifting them in one direction, a shifting pneumatic having connections for actuating the rolls in a direction in opposition to said springs, means for manually controlling the operation of said pneumatic, a lock for preventing the operation of said pneumatic, two manually operable push buttons, and connections whereby the operation of one push button will simply release the lock, While the operation of the other push button will release the lock and result in the operation of said shifting pneumatic.

(3. Mechanism of the character described, comprising` a tracker bar, note-sheet rolls mounted for endwise shifting, springs for shifting them in one direction, a shifting pneumatic having connections for actuating` the rolls in a direction in opposition to said springs, a rod connected to the movable member of said pneumatic, a rock eye for gripping` said rod, means whereby said eye normally holds the rod gripped, andV means under the control of the. performer for actuating said eye to cause it to release the rod.

7. Mechanism of the character described, comprising a tracker bar, note-sheet rolls mounted for endwise shifting, springs for shifting them in one direction, a shifting pneumatic having connections for actuating the rolls in a direction in opposition to said springs, the movable member of said pneumatic having a rod, a rock eye for gripping said rod, said eye having an inclined eXtension, a second pneumatic having means for engaging the inclined extension to rock the eye to release said rod, and means under the control of the performer for effecting the collapsing of said second pneumatic.

S. AMechanism of the character described, comprising a tracker bar, note-sheet rolls mounted for endwise shifting, springs for shifting them in one direction, a shifting pneumatic having connections for actuating the rolls in a direction in opposition to said springs, the movable member of said pneumatic having a rod, a rock eye for gripping said rod, said eye having an inclined eXtension, a second pneumatic having means for engaging the inclined extension to rock the eye to release said rod, and means under the control of the performer for eifecting the collapsingof said second pneumatic, the means under the control of the performer comprising two push buttons, connections therefrom to cause the operation of the two pneumatics, and a connection whereby, when the push button for causing a shifting is operated, the second pneumatic for releasing the lock will also be operated.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

WILLIAM ARTHUR VATSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

